Father and daughter face deployment together


BAGHDAD, Iraq- For members of the Army National Guard, the Guard is very close knit, almost like a family. This fact is more evident than ever with the Bakers. Maj. Patricia G. Baker and her father 1st Sgt. Norman Baker are members of the Minnesota Army National Guard and deployed in Iraq together.

Though members of the same Guard unit, 1st Sgt. Baker is in Tallil, Iraq with C Co., 834 Aviation Support Battallion, Task Force 34, while his daughter, Maj. Baker is in Balad, Iraq with the Task Force 34 Headquarters Company. 1st Sgt. Baker serves as 834 ASB Signal Co.’s 1st Sgt., a job that entails performing communications tasks, as well as overseeing Soldiers who are located throughout Iraq. Maj. Baker serves as the S4 Officer, a job that includes managing funds, equipment, and purchases while in Iraq. She also flies UH-60 Black Hawks during the week.

Despite the distance between them, the father and daughter team are grateful for their shared deployment.
“It gives us something special to share,” says 1st Sgt. Baker, a Lamberton, Minn. native. “It gives us a unique bond, and we have a better opportunity to support each other mentally and morally.”

“It is great to have that opportunity to sit down with my best friend and talk about the profession that we share,” says Maj. Baker, a Lamberton, Minn. native.

The profession that the Bakers share is one that continually seems to coincide.  

“We have been there for each other’s big moments,” says Maj. Baker. “I pinned my dad’s Sgt. 1st Class rank when he was promoted, and he pinned me when I was promoted to Major.”

Some of these moments; however, are not by coincidence. When Maj. Baker was notified of her unit’s orders to deploy, she soon found out they also had 1st Sgt. vacancies.

“Without a second thought, I called my dad and asked if he wanted to come,” said Maj. Baker. “Just like that, he came from another 1st Sgt. spot to fill the vacancy at our unit.”

This deployment also marks a unique moment in history for 1st Sgt. Baker.

“This time 40 years ago, I was deployed in Vietnam,” said 1st Sgt. Baker, who is on his second tour, the previous one being to Vietnam. “So for me to deployed 40 years later with my daughter is special.”

Maj. Baker, who joined the Army in 1992 as an active duty Soldier, and then joined the Minnesota National Guard nine years later, is also on her second tour to Iraq, the first one being in 2003. Her first deployment became one that would allow her to share her experiences with young Soldiers who are deployed for the first time.

“I tell them that we have truly progressed since my last tour,” said Maj. Baker, “It has truly matured and has become a lot safer.”

For Maj. Baker, who will be spending her leave helping Pennsylvania Army National Guardsmen of the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade prepare for deployment, the biggest lesson she learned from her father was how to interact with people.

“He taught me how to interact with people regardless of the type of conversation it could be,” said Maj. Baker. “It’s a necessary skill for a job in the Army.”

For the family the Bakers left behind, their actions were well taken and understood.

“There was not much crying or sadness,” said 1st Sgt. Baker, who is nearing his 60th birthday and plans on extending for another tour while here, which will cause him to get another age waiver. “It was simply an accepted fact, and something that was learned to be expected.”

Something else that has been learned to be expected from the Army National Guard is a sense of family, be it literal or just a feeling from this branch of the military.

“I cannot think of another time where I can say that I served side by side with my dad,” says Maj. Baker. “This is the most paramount way to say Guard is family.”

By Pfc. Jasmine N. Walthall, Task Force 449 Public Affairs Office
16 Dec., 2008